In
the world of gaming, several different genres exist. There's fantasy,
Role-Playing, platformers, adventure games, sports games, and
first-person shooters. Some creators reach for the stars, and combine
two seemingly incompatible genres together to make something
beautiful.
Others,
well, just stick to one genre, but do a damn fine job at it. Case in
point: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
(Pic from the Steam game page! Link at the bottom of the article.)
After
the mediocre success of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, the creative
minds at Sumo Digital got together and decided that they wanted to
overhaul the whole thing. Make it 100% better in all aspects. Take
whatever is making it only mediocre and toss it straight out the
window. This was going to be an entirely new experience, not just a
dressed-up expansion. Although it was released on every platform
known to man, I'll be talking about the version I own – the PC
version. Considering that I haven't actually played the original
game, I won't be making any comparisons but instead will be looking
at the game independently. With that introduction finished amongst an
awkward segway, let us begin!
Sonic
& All-Stars Racing Transformed is presented just like any other
mascot racing game. You've got the familiar characters, familiar
locations, and familiar music. While most people will probably
compare it to the likes of Mario Kart, it's
important to note that Sega truly does have a varied and interesting
cast of characters, even if they may not be quite as memorable as
Nintendo ones. The Sonic characters are front and center, of course,
but then you've got Beat and Gum from Jet Set Radio,
Ulala and Pudding from Space Channel 5,
along with Nights and Reala from the NiGHTS series.
Although this is only an example of three specific ones, what do all
these games have in common? They were innovative and fresh, and
anyone who's played them can tell you just how unique they are. The
characters themselves might not have made the game, but they
certainly added a whole lot. Other characters include Alex the Kidd,
Sega's attempt at a gaming mascot before Sonic came along, and B.D.
Joe from Crazy Taxi, an Arcade as well as Dreamcast favorite. At
least this time Alex gets a piece of the action, and isn't ironically
complaining about being forgotten by Sega (See this article of the
Sega Parody Dreamcast game: Segagaga).
Gameplay-wise,
the main draw to All-Stars Racing Transformed is the transforming
vehicles themselves. During the race, your character's vehicle will
change depending on the terrain-- to either car, boat, or plane. Some
tracks have you changing very frequently, while others have you only
change once for a brief period. Each vehicle handles differently,
adding a new layer of challenge and keeping the players on their
toes. Hitting a wall in your boat will probably slow you down way
more than if you were in your car, and will take you longer to
recover. Drifting around corners is still a must for competitive
play, and doing flips in the air will give you a speed boost upon
landing. While flying in an airplane, you can also perform a “risk
boost” by flipping in any direction to narrowly avoid obstacles.
Think of it as a “graze” bonus, and this gives you another boost
of speed once completed.
(Pic from the Wikipedia article, found here.)
In
graphical terms, the game is an absolute miracle to the eyes. The
graphics are bright and colorful, and it feels like you're really
racing amidst a slew of Sega games in a fantasy world. All of the
locations are faithful to their original counterparts, and are filled
with tons of easter eggs and cameos as well. If you watch the opening
scene of the first track, “Ocean View”, you'll see Big the Cat
fishing. Hey, at least you don't have to fish this time, right? Each
track is jam-packed with creativity and variety, and you'll never
have the same experience twice. Each stage is brimming with
personality that strongly represents the original game that it's
following. In addition, many of the tracks also transform, having a
different route each time around. As an example, the “Burning
Depths” track simulates an undersea facility slowly becoming
flooded as fire destroys it, and this becomes apparent with each lap.
The water gets higher and higher, and the rumbles from your
surroundings add to a fun feeling of an escape. It's very well-done
and these fun tracks just make this game extremely enjoyable.
Most
of the music is either remixed classics or re-used from their
original games, but this isn't a bad thing. Older tunes have been
given uplifts to sound more modern and upbeat, or just more epic in
general. The songs that were left alone work out fine too, since the
music in question (example: Jet Set Radio tracks) is upbeat and
fitting already. The menu music is ridiculously catchy, and you'll
probably either love it or hate it.
Just
like other Kart Racers, each tracks comes filled with stage hazards
and items that players can use to attack others with. To put it
simply, these items are quite... basic. You've got a snowball which
freezes opponents to slow them down, a clone that locks on to and
attacks racers in front of you, a blowfish that can either be left
behind your car to hit those behind you or shot out from the front,
and a few more. The most dynamic item is the All-Star, which gives
your racer immunity and a special attack, as well as a speed boost
for a short period of time. You can use the All-Star to go from last
to first if you use it properly, but not capitalizing on the
advantage could send you back where you started. It's usually given
out pretty fairly, but an All-Star is by no means broken and doesn't
always grant an easy win.
(Pic from Alpha Coders user: robokoboto. Check here!)
Each
racer in the game handles differently, which isn't that extensive but
it is noticeable in a few tracks. Sonic has the highest speed but not
very good turning, while Tails has great turning but a lower overall
speed. Mods can be obtained in-game which balance out your racer or
change the way they handle entirely, offering a new experience even
if you like playing as a specific character.
The
only real downfall to All-Stars racing Transformed is that most of
the stuff is locked upon startup. To unlock the other racers, tracks,
and mods, you'll need to complete career mode -- which means putting
a good chunk of time into it before getting to play as whoever you
want. While it is very good at being “pick up and playable”,
you're still limited to about 1/3 of the content if you want to jump
into multiplayer straight away. Still, if you don't mind putting a
little time in to complete the trials of career mode and collect some
stars, this isn't too much of a problem. At least it gives us solo
players a little something extra to do, and career mode does a fairly
good job at testing your skills.
I
play this game with my Ps3 Controller on my PC, and it handles
beautifully. Even being a few years old, multiplayer lobbies are
still quite easy to find, and racing against others is a lot of fun.
Whether you're competitive or casual, playing alone or having some
mayhem with your friend, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is
an exceptional racing game that anyone can enjoy. Even if you're not
a fan of Sega franchises, try it out! The fresh track design and fun
mechanics of the transforming vehicles make it a unique and exciting
racing experience.
Side note: There's no Phantasy Star characters or tracks (which was a missed opportunity seeing just how creative these guys are) but there IS an achievement called "De Rol Le Credits" ... really guys? Really?
(Pic from Alpha Coders user: robokoboto. Check here!)
Buy this game on Steam Ya'll! http://store.steampowered.com/app/212480/
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